Undergraduate
Courses Spring 2001

Non-Major Introductory Courses

V83.0005-001

Ethics and Society

TR 8:00-9:15 AM

TBA

Examines
grounds for moral judgment and action in various social contexts. Typical
topics: public versus private good and duties; individualism and cooperation;
inequalities and justice; utilitarianism and rights; regulation of sexual
conduct, abortion, and family life; poverty and wealth; racism and sexism; and
war and capital punishment.

Intensive
Introductory Courses

V83.0010-001

Central Problems in
Philosophy

TR 9:30-10:45 AM

Prof. White

An intensive introduction to the central
problems of philosophy. We will consider such questions as, Are we purely
physical beings? Do we have free will and are we responsible for our actions?
Is there a God? How can we have knowledge of the world around us? What is it
for a belief to be justified? Are there objective moral standards? How should
we act? What is a just society?

Group I: History
of Philosophy

V83.0021-001

History of Modern Philosophy

TR 11:00-12:15 PM

TBA

This
is a survey of 17th and 18th century European metaphysics and
epistemology.We will read Descartes,
Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.

V83.0030-001

Kant

TR 6:20-7:35 PM

Prof. Kamm

Focuses
on Kant's ethics only. Detailed examination of The Groundwork of the
Metaphysics of Morals, parts of the Critique of Practical Reason, along with
modern commentaries on these. Possibly also, discussion of Perpetual Peace.
Midterm and final essay examinations and a ten page final paper.

Group II: Ethics,
Value, and Society

V83.0040-001

Ethics

MW 12:30-1:45 PM

TBA

Examines
fundamental questions of moral philosophy: What are our most basic values and
which of them are specifically moral values? What are the ethical principles,
if any, by which we should judge our actions, ourselves, and our lives?

V83.0050-001

Medical Ethics

MW 6:20-7:35 PM

Prof. Dwyer

In
the first part of the course we will consider a number of ethical issues that
arise in the practice of medicine. We will discuss confidentiality,
truthfulness, informed consent, competence, refusal of treatment, assisted
suicide, decisions for children, and professional obligations. In the
second part of the course we will consider ethical issues that are related to
health care systems, public policies, and social institutions. We will
discuss the allocation of scarce resources, social justice, international
obligations, environmental responsibility, and civic engagement.
Throughout the course we will reflect on different philosophical approaches to
issues in medical ethics. We will discuss

ethical
theories, moral principles, case-based reasoning, moral virtues, and
pragmatism. Course work will include two midterm exams, a term paper, and
a final exam.

V83.0060-001

Aesthetics

TR 2:00-3:15 PM

Prof. Ruddick

How
similar are aesthetic judgments of works of art (e.g. painting and sculpture)
to those of constituents of daily life (e.g. buildings, interiors, people and
clothes, food and meals, cars and trains, advertisements and
photographs)? How do aesthetic experiences and

This
course will employ fictional works, the novel and the play, as a vehicle for
exploring philosophical themes and issues.Great works of literature endure on the strength of their ability to
address the human condition, and the course's intention is to exploit the power
of selected writings to place significant philosophical issues within vibrant
concrete contexts.The traditional
philosophical dualisms of mind and body, appearance and reality, along with
issues concerned with truth, personal identity, and values, both moral and
aesthetic, will provide the central concerns of the course.Camus, Kafka, Faulkner, Hemingway, Styron, Kesey,
and Kundera will be among the authors whose works will be read and analyzed
from a perspective which will employ philosophical rather than literary
criteria and techniques.

We
shall cover the basics of classical metalogic. The focus will be on
providing a rigorous account of the syntax and semantics for first-order logic
and of proving completeness. Some attention will also be given to issues
of philosophical interest

[May
be taken by graduate students as an independent study to satisfy logic
requirement]

V83.0078-001

Metaphysics

MW 11:00-12:15 PM

Prof. Dorr

Our
starting point in this course will be the paradoxes
of material constitution.For
example, suppose that I have just taken some clay and shape it into a statue of
Elvis.Surely there is just one
material object occupying the clay-filled space: a statue which is also a lump
of clay.But surely the statue is
something that only just came into existence, whereas the lump of clay has been
in existence for a long time.So the
statue and the lump of clay must be two different things, even though they
occupy exactly the same space.

As
we think about the various ways in which one might resolve paradoxes like this
one, many other metaphysical questions will come up.We will embrace these opportunities for digression.As a result, by the end of the course, we
will have considered a fair sampling of the traditional topics of
metaphysics.These topics might
include: questions about the existence and mind-independence of material
objects; the nature of space and time; the possibility of time travel; the
meaning of claims about possibility, necessity, and essence; the theory of
composition; the existence and nature of properties and relations; the meaning
of claims about causation and physical law; the freedom of the will; the
criteria for, and significance of, personal identity.

V83.0085-001

Philosophy of Language

MW 9:30-10:45 PM

TBA

We
will examine various philosophical approaches to language and meaning, and
their consequences for traditional philosophical problems in metaphysics,
epistemology, and the philosophy of mind.The authors discussed are primarily 20th century figures, including Russell,
Wittgenstein, and Quine.Some
familiarity with first-order logic is strongly recommended.Requirements include two five- to seven-page
papers and short response papers over the course of the semester.

V83.0090-001

Philosophy of Science

MW 2:00-3:15 PM

Prof. Belot

We
will consider a range of question about the nature and objectivity of
scientific knowledge. What is the difference between scientific explanations
and other ones? What is the role of observation and experiment in scientific
knowledge? How and why does scientific knowledge change over time? Can we have
knowledge of what is in principle unobservable? Is scientific knowledge more
objective than other forms of knowledge? We will read some classic
contributions to the philosophy of science from the last fifty years.

V83.0102-001

Topics in Ethics and
Political Philosophy

TR 2:00-3:15 PM

Prof. Kamm

Examination
of various topics in ethical theory, such as the nature of reasons,
contractualism, aggregation, and responsibility, by way of a close reading of
What We Owe to Each Other by Thomas Scanlon, along with sections of Morality,
Mortality, vol. 1 by F.M. Kamm and selected articles. Requirements: short class
presentation, final essay examination, ten page final paper.

Philosophy
poses general questions about reality, knowledge, reasoning, language, and
conduct. The four main branches are metaphysics (What is the ultimate nature of
reality? What really exists and what is mere appearance?); epistemology (What,
if anything, can be known and how?); logic (What are the principles of correct
reasoning?); and ethics (What is moral value? And what moral values should we
adopt?). Other, more specific, branches of philosophy address questions
concerning the nature of art, law, medicine, politics, religion, and the
sciences.

Everyone
tends to have or assume answers to these questions. The aim of the department
is to enable students to identify, clarify, and assess these answers, both
ancient and modern. Philosophy prepares students for a more reflective life,
for advanced studies in the subject, as well as for professions that emphasize analytic
thinking and argumentation, such as law, business, and programming.

ABOUT
THE PROGRAM

Major

A
major in philosophy requires nine 4-point V-level or G-level courses in the
department. These must include (1) Logic, V83.0070; (2) History of Ancient
Philosophy, V83.0020; or Advanced Greek Philosophy, V83.0023; (3) History of
Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; (4) Ethics, V83.0040; or Nature of Values,
V83.0041; or Political Philosophy, V83.0045; (5) Belief, Truth, and Knowledge,
V83.0076; or Metaphysics, V83.0078; (6) Minds and Machines, V83.0015; or
Philosophy of Mind, V83.0080; or Philosophy of Language, V83.0085; and (7)
Topics in the History of Philosophy, V83.0101; or Topics in Ethics and
Political Philosophy, V83.0102; or Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology,
V83.0103; or Topics in Language and Mind, V83.0104. No credit toward the major
is awarded for a course with a grade lower than C.

Students
considering a major in philosophy are encouraged to begin with one of the
Intensive Introductory Courses, or with one of the following: History of
Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020; History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; Ethics,
V83.0040; or Belief, Truth, and Knowledge, V83.0076. Logic, V83.0070, should be
taken as soon as possible.

JOINT
MAJOR in Language and Mind

This
major, intended as an introduction to cognitive science, is administered by the
Departments of Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology. Eleven courses are
required (four in linguistics, one in philosophy, five in psychology, and one
additional course) to be constituted as follows. The linguistics component
consists of Language, V61.0001; Grammatical Analysis, V61.0013; Introduction to
Cognitive Science, V61.0028; and one more course chosen from Computational
Models of Sentence Construction, V61.0024; Phonological Analysis, V61.0012; and
Introduction to Semantics, V61.0004. The philosophy component consists of one
course, chosen from Minds and Machines, V83.0015; Philosophy of Language,
V83.0085; and Logic, V83.0070. The psychology component consists of four
required courses: Introduction to Psychology, A89.0001; Statistics for the
Behavioral Sciences, V89.0010; The Psychology of Language, V89.0056; and
Cognition, V89.0029; in addition, one course, chosen from Seminar in Thinking,
V89.0026; Language Acquisition and Cognitive Development, V89.0300; and
Laboratory in Human Cognition, V89.0028. The eleventh course will be one of the
above-listed courses that has not already been chosen to satisfy the
departmental components.

MINOR

A
minor in philosophy requires four 4-point courses, at least three beyond the
A-level Introductory Courses. One course must be History of Ancient Philosophy,
V83.0020, or History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; one course each must come
from Group 2 (Ethics, Value, and Society) and Group 3 (Metaphysics,
Epistemology, Mind, Language, and Logic). No credit toward the minor is awarded
for a course with a grade lower than C.

INDEPENDENT
STUDY

A
student may sign up for an independent study course if he or she obtains the
consent of a faculty member who approves the study project and agrees to serve
as adviser. The student must also obtain the approval of either the department
chair or the director of undergraduate studies. The student may take no more
than one such course in any given semester and no more than two such courses in
total, unless granted special permission by either the department chair or the
director of undergraduate studies.

HONORS
PROGRAM

Honors
in philosophy will be awarded to majors who (1) have an overall grade point
average of 3.5 and an average in V- and G-level philosophy courses of 3.5, and
(2) successfully complete the honors program. This program, which is taken for
2 points in each of the student's last two semesters, is intended to provide an
intensive and rewarding culmination to the philosophy major. It involves
participation in an honors seminar and the writing of a senior thesis under the
supervision of a faculty adviser. Entry to the honors program requires a 3.0
average overall and a 3.5 average in at least five V- or G-level philosophy
courses (at least one in each of the three Groups, plus one Topics course). The
thesis must be approved by the adviser and by a second faculty reader for
honors to be awarded.

Majors
interested in admission to the program should consult the director of
undergraduate studies toward the end of their junior year.

COURSE
PREREQUISITES

The
department treats its course prerequisites seriously. Students not satisfying a
course's prerequisites are strongly advised to seek the permission of the
instructor beforehand.

WHY
STUDY PHILOSOPHY?

Philosophy has a reputation for being otherworldly and
impractical – some say, “philosophy butters no bread”, but it doesn’t really
deserve this label.The purpose of philosophy
is controversial, but at least one this it involves is the construction and
evaluation of arguments.The study of
philosophy is a training of expressing thoughts clearly and precisely, in
defending one’s ideas and evaluating the positions of others.Quite simply, philosophy gives a training in
thinking.And this is a skill valuable
in any professional field.

Philosophy
has a special affinity with the legal profession in which arguments, and the
application of general rules to cases, play central roles.Many law schools recognize this connection
and are especially receptive to philosophy majors.But philosophical skills are valuable elsewhere as well.In business, you must formulate and clarify
problems, to analyze potential solutions, and to defend your approach in a
clear and rational way.All these
abilities are improved by exercising in philosophical argument.And finally, medical schools and
professionals place increasing importance on the ability to reflect in the
ethical issues that arise in their practice – and these are of course problems
treated in moral philosophy.

Some
of these practical beliefs seem reflected the exceptional performance by
philosophy majors on graduate admissions exams.They show that philosophy majors scored higer than any other
group on the verbal section of the GRE,
and much higher than any other humanities majors on the quantitative
section.Philosophy majors are second
only to math majors on the GMAT, and
third only to math and economics majors on the LSAT.Of course, majors
training in philosophy may not be wholly responsible for these results – it may
also be that brighter students are entering the field to begin with.But in either case, the report suggests
you’re not stupid if you join them.

But this still doesn’t touch on what surely remains the
most reasons for studying philosophy.College years shouldn’t just be a professional training.They are a best chance to think about basic
human questions – about personal and social values, about the nature of reality
and yourselves.Studying philosophy can
bring into view questions of lifelong relevance and interest.It can acquaint you with the issues in
debates that will always recur, and can help you toward argued positions on
such issues.In a very rare case, it
might even help determine your direction through life.